ELY — People came out for the dedication of the two new sculptures in Whiteside Park last Tuesday.
“The Voyageurs” is a life-size bronze sculpture of two French-Canadian voyageurs canoeing by Vic Payne.
The second, titled “Author, Artist, Filmmaker and Conservationist,” by Ronald Bayens, depicts Canadian canoeing legend Bill Mason.
The statues are both dedicated to Ely wilderness canoe guides and Canoe Country Outfitters founders Bill and Barb Rom. The city of Ely, via a Gardner Humanities Trust grant, paid for the statue’s foundation, which was built by C&C Winger. Granite facings by Laurentian Monument Granite and Stone were donated by the Roms.
Dr. William Rom and his wife, Holly Meeker Rom, have overseen the project over the past ten years. It began when visiting an art gallery in Santa Fe. There, they saw “Into the Wild,” a statue of western explorers John Fremont and Kit Carson canoeing. It got the Roms thinking about the voyageurs of the North Country.
“Ely is the center of the canoe country wilderness. The voyageurs were here in the late 1700s through the mid-1800s. They paddled right past Ely,” he said.
Rom tracked down the sculptor, Payne, and inquired about commissioning a statue. Payne grew up on stories of the West and primarily creates Western art. Rom recalled that when he called Payne and asked him to do a canoe sculpture with voyageurs instead of westerners, Payne said, “What’s a voyageur?”
As Rom was mulling over the price for a Payne statue, he kept looking on the internet. When searching for bronze statues of canoes, he found Bayens, a Canadian portrait painter working in Tennessee, who, to try something different, made small statues of his hero Bill Mason canoeing down rapids. Rom didn’t know who Bill Mason was at first, but soon learned that he is “the patron saint of canoeing in Canada.” Rom was delighted and asked Bayens to create a larger statue for Ely.
Then Payne called Rom back, saying he’d like to do the sculpture, offering a special rate.
Having two artists lined up, Holly told him he had to choose one but Rom didn’t like that idea. He was determined to have sculptures from both artists. So, the deals were made and both statues were scheduled to be delivered in 2022. Bayens’ statue made it on schedule but “The Voyageurs” faced many rough portages on its journey to Ely.
The first obstacle to the project was from the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a two-year delay. The foundry work began in 2024, but when the statue was nearly completed, the foundry burned down. Payne and the foundry workers picked up the pieces and shipped it to another foundry, where it had to wait in a long queue. Once the statue had its turn, it needed to be restored. Foundry workers cleaned it with muriatic acid and sandblasting.
The statue finally arrived and was installed in Ely last December when it was 13 degrees below zero.
“I’m very honored to be able to honor a hero of mine,” said Bayens, reflecting on his work with the statue and getting to know Rom. “Now I’ve got two heroes, Bill Mason and Bill Rom. Thank you to the town of Ely. You’re like a canoeing paradise. It’s awesome coming here, and I hope you all enjoy the sculpture.”
Ely Mayor Heidi Omerza accepted the donation saying, “Thank you on the behalf of the city of Ely for investing in our city and our park.”
The statues were blessed by Deacon Greg Hutar.